10 Harsh Realities Of Watching Disney’s Aladdin Today, 31 Years Later

Aladdin was a huge success for Disney in 1992, but 31 years later, it’s a bit tainted. Unlike previous Disney princess films, the movie-musical is centered on the male character Aladdin instead of on the princess, Jasmine. It was also the first Disney princess film to feature a non-white prince and princess. Aladdin‘s release followed the success of Beauty and the Beast, continuing the Disney 90’s renaissance.

27 years after Aladdin‘s premiere, Disney released its live-action film adaptation, which saw Will Smith take on the iconic role of Aladdin‘s Genie. While it’s impossible to recreate the animated film, the live-action adaptation performed well, leading to more live-action Disney films, including the 2023 The Little Mermaid adaptation. While Disney fans have loved Aladdin, and it was Disney’s first step into a more diverse world of Disney princesses, it has many problematic aspects and other issues that have changed how society views it 31 years later.

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Watch Aladdin on Disney+

10 Jasmine Isn’t A Very Empowering Female Character

The Character Was Also Criticized For Being Overly Sexualized

When The Little Mermaid premiered in 1989, 30 years after Sleeping Beauty, Disney worked hard to correct some of the mistakes the studio made with their previous princesses. Ariel was a lot more empowered than Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora. They continued their mission with Belle in Beauty and the Beast but seemed to miss the mark with Jasmine.

In Aladdin, Jasmine isn’t allowed to decide for herself what she wants for her life and is expected to marry at only 16 years old. Jasmine relies on Aladdin to free her from her castle, and the only way her father allows her freedom is when she marries Aladdin at the end of the movie. Additionally, Jasmine also received criticism for being overly sexualized. Thankfully, the live-action version does much better by Jasmine, including giving her a great song.

9 Aladdin & Jasmine Are Voiced By White Voice Actors

Scott Weinger & Linda Larkin Play The Arab Characters

One of the biggest problems in the Disney film is that Aladdin and Jasmine, both Arab characters, are voiced by white voice actors. Aladdin is voiced by Scott Weinger, best known for playing Steve Hale in Full House, while Linda Larkin voices Jasmine, with Filipina singer Lea Salonga doing Jasmine’s vocals. This is extremely problematic, and many found it offensive when the film came out. Disney should have remained true to the characters’ ethnicity by having Arab voice actors take on the roles.

8 Aladdin’s Portrayal Of The Middle East Is Inaccurate

The Disney Film Has A European View Of The Middle East

Filmmakers didn’t do enough research when creating the landscape for Aladdin. The film has been criticized for having a European view of the Middle East instead of an accurate portrayal of the region. It has also been noted that Aladdin doesn’t accurately portray the Middle East or Northern African culture, which is where Aladdin takes place. It seems Disney used some basic, uneducated knowledge when creating the world of Aladdin.

7 Robin Williams & Disney Fell Out After Aladdin Premiered

Williams Refused To Return For The Sequel Or The TV Series

Robin Williams is one of the most respected actors ever, and his portrayal of the Genie in Aladdin is the most celebrated and memorable performance in the film. Unfortunately, Williams’ relationship with Disney fell apart after Aladdin premiered. Disney and Williams came to an agreement that his voice would not be used for merchandising, and in exchange, Williams took a pay cut. However, Disney didn’t hold up their end of the bargain and used Williams’ voice anyway. Disney had to recast Genie with Dan Castellaneta for the sequel and series, though Williams returned for the threequel.

6 Disney’s 2019 Live-Action Aladdin Fell Short Of The Original

2019’s Aladdin Has 57% On Rotten Tomatoes

The 2019 live-action Aladdin was a massive success at the box office, earning $356.6 million in the United States and $1.054 billion worldwide with a budget of $183 million (via Box Office Mojo). Unfortunately, the reviews weren’t great, and on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, the live-action Aladdin has only a 57%. However, it rated much higher with fans, with a 94 percent audience score. Still, it doesn’t have much of a legacy as the original film does, despite its problematic aspects.

5 Aladdin Perpetuates Orientalist Stereotypes

Agrabah Is A Fictional Setting Based On The Middle East

Aladdin has been accused of Orientalism and exaggerating Middle Eastern culture. One issue is that the film created the fictional setting of Agrabah based on several different areas in the Middle East. Aladdin ignores how different each area is and morphs them all into one exaggerated and offensive depiction of the region. Aladdin also poorly portrays Arabs through the characters’ appearances and personalities.

4 Arabian Nights Once Included An Offensive Lyric

The Lyric Has Since Been Changed Twice

One of the film’s early changes was a lyric in the song “Arabian Nights.” The original lyric, which appeared in the 1992 premiere, was “Oh, I come from a land from a faraway place where the caravan camels roam. Where they cut off your ear if they don’t like your face. It’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home.” The lyric received criticism for its portrayal of Middle Eastern culture, suggesting citizens will be punished if they’re not considered attractive enough.

In 1993, Disney changed the lyric to “Oh, I come from a land, from a faraway place where the caravan camels roam. Where it’s flat and immense, and the heat is intense. It’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home.” The new lyrics focused on the landscape instead of the Middle Eastern culture. The lyric was later changed again to be more acceptable in the 2019 live-action film.

3 Naomi Scott’s Live Action Casting Was Controversial

Fans Accused Disney Of Whitewashing The 2019 Remake

One of the biggest controversies surrounding the 2019 live-action adaptation of Aladdin was Naomi Scott being cast as Jasmine. After the animated film cast white voice actors in the roles, fans hoped the live-action film would stay true to the characters by hiring an Arab actress to portray Jasmine. Instead, Disney cast Scott, an English actress whose mother is of Indian descent but whose father is white. Fans accused Disney of whitewashing the film by casting Scott as the princess.

2 Aladdin Has An Offensive Portrayal Of The Villainous Character

Greedy Street Merchants Were Also Given Heavy Arabic Accents

There are many offensive portrayals in Aladdin, but the villains may be the worst. While Aladdin and Jasmine, the heroes of the film, were portrayed as attractive, the greedy street merchants were given heavy Arabic accents and unattractive facial features. The same goes for Aladdin‘s main villain Jafar, who has a much darker skin tone than Aladdin and Jasmine. Jafar and his sidekick Gazeem also have non-American accents, unlike Aladdin and Jasmine.

1 Aladdin & Jasmine Have Western Facial Features

Tom Cruise & Jennifer Connelly Were The Inspiration For Aladdin & Jasmine

When it comes to the appearances of Jasmine and Aladdin, they may have been the first non-white Disney Princess and Prince, but their facial features are not an accurate representation of what Arabs look like. Their skin tones are darker than other Disney characters, but their faces contain European features. Tom Cruise and Jennifer Connelly, both white actors, were the inspiration behind Aladdin and Jasmine’s appearances in Aladdin.